A relatively recent development in agriculture involves the spreading of thin transparent or translucent film directly upon the ground, followed by planting with equipment that pokes the seedlings through the film. This procedure has been shown to have a number of advantages, noteably a greater retention of moisture in the ground, suppression of weed growth, increased warmth from the greenhouse effect, and reduction of wind erosion. Specialized machines have been adapted to carry a roll of the film material, which is permitted to unwind as the machine is moved along with a standard tractor. Provision must obviously be made to secure at least the edges of the film as it is unrolled, in order to hold it in place against wind action. This has commonly been done by forming grooves in the ground, and depressing the edges of the film into the grooves. Scraping blades then close the furrows behind the machine, thus locking the film more or less securely in position. The effectiveness of this technique has focused considerable attention on the development of more convenient and cost-efficient machines for laying film material. The present invention provides a machine utilizing these principles, and having structural characteristics resulting in compactness and reduced cost of manufacture.